Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state:-
(a) whether minimum wages fixed for skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 varies from State to State in the country;

(b) if so, the details thereof including the minimum wages fixed for each State/UT along with the reasons for the difference;

(c) whether the Government proposes to formu- late a uniform wage policy for the entire country; and

(d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (IC) FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI BANDARU DATTATREYA)

(a) & (b): Under the provisions of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, both the Central and State Governments are appropriate Governments to fix and revise the minimum wages of different cate- gory of workers employed in the scheduled emp- loyments under their respective jurisdictions. Minimum rates of wages applicable in Central Sphere and the range in State Spheres are given in the Annexure I and Annexure II respectively. Since fixation of wages depends on factors like local conditions, cost of living, there are differences in the rates of minimum wages fixed by the appropriate Governments.

(c) & (d): An attempt has been made to move towards a uniform wage structure to reduce disparity in minimum wages across States by introducing the National Floor Level Minimum Wage (NFLMW) below which there can be no other wage rate. The NFLMW is revised from time to time.